Hot Patterns Montpellier Dress – Really is Fast and Fabulous!

This is one of those patterns that I knew I wanted the minute I saw it.

It’s just one of those easy, breezy simple to wear in the summer dresses. So I made this from a linen-like fabric in navy blue.

There were a few alterations I made in order to get to this point. I did make a muslin of the dress and basically worked in stages so that I could see the effects of each change I made.

First, I shortened it by 3″. I knew it would need to be shortened just from the picture on the envelope. The muslin cut my leg off at a weird (unflattering) spot, so 3″ off to start.

Then it was VERY full so I needed to reduce the fullness, but keep the shape of the dress. So, I marked the waist on the muslin, then added a dart in the front (you really can’t tell with the dark, solid fabric) that extends from the waist to the hem.

I reshaped the curve a little about 1/2″ to reduce it in the back. Since the back has a seam anyway, that was easy to sew the “new” seam. The front I actually did cut on the fold and added the dart as mentioned above.

The only thing I had actual trouble with was the in-seam pocket. I really wasn’t getting the instructions, so I did it the way I knew how. I cut off the facing and reshaped the pocket to get it done.

While all of this sounds like a lot, it took a few hours to work out the adjustments. Actual construction was pretty fast (about 4 hours). This dress is perfect for a linen blend or some other breezy type of fabric. It’ll be great for summer weather.